A few years ago it looked like Tim Burton would direct Ripley’s Believe It Or Not with Jim Carrey set to star as newspaperman Robert Ripley, who created an enduring brand as he collected stories of the exotic and unusual for his entertaining column. The movie didn’t happen, but it turns out the script wasn’t dead, only dormant.

Now Eric Roth (Forrest Gump, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) is set to do “a complete rewrite overhaul,” according to Deadline. Jim Carrey is still set to appear. No idea who might direct, but Eric Roth scripts tend to attract top-flight talent, so it could well be a notable name. Read More »

Paramount is in talks with Chris Columbus (The Goonies, Home Alone) to direct the Jim Carrey comedy Ripley’s Believe it or Not. The project has been plagued since the beginning, with cast changes and shooting schedule delays, and budgetary concerns. The studio ordered the the script be reworked after original director Tim Burton and Carrey’s endless brainstorming resulted in the FX budget skyrocketing to gigantic proportions. Last we heard they hoped to wrangle the budget to the $150 million range. The project has been in development heck since 2007.

Believe It or Not is said to pick up with Ripley at the time when he gained celebrity status through a “Believe it or Not” column that chronicled his search for the greatest oddities in the world. Along the way, he starts to respect his unusual human discoveries as more than mere conquests to be documented. According to Variety, the story will be completely overhauled, and the entire China-based storyline is being completely scrapped. Columbus will hire a writer if and when he officially signs on. Paramount hopes to get the film on track for a 2011 release.

A couple weeks ago it was reported that Tim Burton would no longer be directing the Jim Carrey action/adventure biopic Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Paramount was said to be looking for a new director for the troubled project. Our friends at FilmIck are now reporting that Michel Gondry is in talks to direct the film. I’m not sure how reliable this information is, but the Internet Movie Database has also recently replaced Burton’s name with Gondry.

Gondry is (of course) responsible for two of the most unique movies of recent years: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep. Believe It or Not is said to picks up with Ripley at the time when he gained celebrity status through a “Believe it or Not” column that chronicled his search for the greatest oddities in the world. Along the way, he starts to respect his unusual human discoveries as more than mere conquests to be documented.

The project has been plagued since the beginning with cast changes and shooting schedule delays due to budgetary concerns. The studio ordered the the script be reworked after Carrey’s and Burton’s endless brainstorming resulted in the FX budget skyrocketing to gigantic proportions. Las we heard they hoped to wrangle the budget to the $150 million range.